COELHO CONTRACTING INC

We have a large Victorian house than needed paint and exterior repairs. They did a beautiful job. Karla and her husband Illia are a great team. She is an excellent business manager and he is master carpenter. They run a tight, efficient operation. Their work is top notch. We've used them for several projects in our home including installing a laundry room, new door, and doing some electrical work plus interior painting. They are more expensive but worth every penny, we'd definitely hire them again.

I first used Cuelho few years ago, I was very happy then so I want to use there services again. Communication is great, services is amazing, the crew was very nice, clean and respectfull.

This is the fourth time in the past 14 years that we've worked with Coelho for carpentry and/or painting. The owners are very pleasant to work with. They do excellent work at a competitive price. This time around, I particularly noticed and appreciated how picky they were about the details of the paint job. They also graciously accommodated our schedule when another contractor needed to take over the site for a short period in the middle of the project.

I found dealing with Coehlo Contracting satisfactory from start to finish and will ask them for a bid the next time our house needs painting. Ms. Coehlo priced the job herself and her workers completed the job as specified. The work was guaranteed for five years;and five years later, I can attest that it has held up well.
The workers actively scrapped the trim before painting and  went back over any areas I had concerns about. The company also had skilled carpenters who were able to replace shingles in advance of the painting. The only place I saw room for improvement was in prompt resolution of the punch list. This took a number of weeks and was not completed until after Thanksgiving.
However, that delay was more than offset by Ms. Coehlo's tremendous flexibility in rescheduling the job when it turned out we did not like the colors we had chosen. The crew had primed most of the house in the selected color when we realized we had made a bad mistake. She reassigned the painters to other jobs while we went through a lengthy color selection process. I really appreciated her willingness to work with us toward a good outcome and mutually agreeable schedule.
The foreman running the job came by at least every other day and was available by telephone. He was very responsive to any concerns we had. He was also willing to have the crew test paint two different trim colors for a final selection. The painters themselves were pleasant to be around and seemed to enjoy working with each other (always a good situation). They took particular care to protect plantings and stonework.
I was pleased with Coehlo's performance and thought the price was fair. I have no reservations about recommending them to others.

We decided to use Coelho Contracting because of their flexibility and good communication, and the reputation of quality from previous reviews. We had specific ideas about most of the design and materials for the new porch, and Karla helped us finalize several of the remaining design details, which was very helpful. We also wanted their work to stop at a specific place so we could do some of the trim work ourselves, and she was OK with this.
The work started right on time but the demolition phase went a bit slower than we expected. The demo crew took time to understand what they were doing before ripping stuff off, which was warranted since there were several layers of previous generations and materials. Very courteous demo team. They also removed various debris from previous jobs that had been piling up, even though they didn't have to. Construction was done at a reasonable pace, and the quality was outstanding. The master carpenter was very courteous and thoughtful, and went over the critical details with us as the job progressed, such that things were done right the first time. Being familiar with construction techniques myself, it was a delight to follow the daily progress and see how the challenges of each phase were properly addressed (and always somewhat better or much better than I would have done it myself, which is a good part of the value). The structural elements are generally oversized so the porch has a very sturdy feel. The finish work is very well put together, for example the decking boards run the full length of the porch to give a pleasant visual appearance, whereas others might have used shorter boards to save a bit of money. Likewise some of the trim corners are mitered in hidden places where it might have been more expedient to use a square cut, so it looks good under to hood too. The railings were hand-made and are nicely proportioned, square and plumb.  We have received compliments from neighbors during the job about the quality of the work and the care that went into it, and after the work about the appearance.
The schedule stretched out a bit towards the end, due to a variety of factors. Some of our design changes resulted in extra work along the way, then there was a bit of confusion from the city inspector about specific electrical and trim work they needed to see. In the end, the winter scramble delayed the last few punchlist items, but that is to be expected in this kind of flexible situation. The key point is that we wanted quality first and this is what we got. There are more projects in the pipeline and we would not hesitate to hire Coelho Contracting again.

Excellent.

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We really appreciated working with Coehlo. They deserve top notch recognition in particular for their professionalism. Karla offerred to come out to examine our damaged exterior the very same day that I called her! Throughout the entire process, she was very responsive and full of helpful information. They worked with us to hammer out a contract that made us feel comfortable with the whole process. They stuck to their word on both the timing and the costs of the project. The quality was very solid. Overall, I would definitely recommend Coehlo to a friend. They are the model for what I would look for in a contractor! Thank you Karla!

From the beginning Coelho was the only one of many contractors I contacted who responded promptly to my queries and followed up quickly with their estimate of the job.  THough it was a small job, they also were the only ones to propose that if we could wait until they could squash us in between other jobs, they would be happy to do it.  Soon after we agreed on this, they were able to come and do the work.  The materials they used were superior (certainly superior to the originals) and they were meticulous in everything they did, including laying down tarps to prevent debris in the yard and cleaning up afterwards.  Ours was a small  job but they fit us in between other jobs in the area.  They quickly finished and the work is of very high quality.  Throughout the entire process Karla Coelho maintained contact with me and was very responsive.  I would highly recommend Coelho Contracting.  

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We have done a great deal of research and received several estimates before we selected Coelho
Contracting to paint the exterior and interior of our house. The price of
Karla?s estimate was somewhat higher than the rest of the estimates, but we are
happy we went with her company. The presentation, communication, and the
estimate itself (done in a very professional manner) set Coelho Contracting
apart from other painters we reviewed. Karla seemed to have an extensive knowledge
of painting products and gave us valuable guidance regarding paint brand and
color choices.
My wife could not decide on the color of the house and we end up changing the one we selected last minute?
Karla was professional all along, giving us suggestions and trying to make the selection easier for us.
Before the painters started the exterior work they covered the ground with protective covers. The same story was inside: the workers were very careful to protect the furniture and the floors from the paint drops. The paint work was outstanding,
the lines were straight and there were no drips anywhere.
We would definitely recommend Coelho Contracting to anyone
who needs the paint job done, and we will be using them in the future.

Met with contractor to review job.   I needed to have outside back stairs from second floor replaced.  I wanted new stairs to be constructed of a better wood than green wood.     I also wanted to make use of the space underneath the stairs - enclosing area for storage.    They showed up every day for the two weeks it took to do the work.  The job entailed demo of old stairs which included the footings because the building code had changed.    I especially liked the way we set up the payment schedule.   First payment due after they pulled permit and had their stock. Three other payments made after certain stages of construction was complete.   I had two neighbors contact me and ask about this vendor.  They too were impressed with their work product.

I hired Coelho Contracting in June 2013 to paint the exterior of my home that I just had purchased early in the year. I spoke to the office and they fit me right into their schedule. Karla came out to give me an estimate on Tuesday morning and by late afternoon, I was emailed the estimate. The estimate was very thorough, since I am a first time home buyer this was all very new to me. After receiving different estimates, I felt most comfortable with Coelho Contracting. Once I decided to go with them, I called the office and the office manager took care of everything. Not only did I get the contract right away, but I also go their Liability and Worker's Compensation to my email just as fast. It took them about a couple of weeks to start the job since they were in busy season. A crew came out the day the office manager let me know they were coming. After they scrapped I was notified by Karla that I did need some repairs. The office manager sent me an estimate for my approval (which I thought was very professional) as soon as I approved the repairs, Mr. Marcos came out and fixed everything that needed to be done. He was also a pleasure to work with. Once the repairs were out of the way, the painting was in gear. They used all top of the line products and finished within three weeks my house was complete. I would def recommend Coelho Contracting and have already hired them for my interior projects!

We hired Coelho Contracting in fall 2008 to perform siding/trim carpentry repairs and to paint our house.  Coelho Contracting gave a 5-year warranty on all of the work.  (They do this for all of their customers.)  As we were nearing the end of our 5-year warranty, we thought it prudent to contact Coelho Contracting to perform some warranty repairs (paint peeling, e.g.).  They also separately provided a price on exterior repairs (rotted wood, e.g.) that have developed over the past few years.  One of the major reasons we wanted the work to be done was that we have been getting some water in at one intersection of a window/siding, and we wanted that issue resolved.  Their contract indicated that they would check that area to determine best steps to resolve it. 
I was somewhat reluctant to move forward with Coelho Contracting because frankly their price of $2075 seemed quite significant for a few exterior repairs.  (Their contract also provided for the "free" warranty repairs, but I never thought the "free" warranty repairs were "free" at all, truth be told.)  All that said, Karla Coelho pressured us to move forward on the project because she said spring was here and they were about to start large projects and wanted to make sure we got our warranty work in.  Fair enough.  So we moved forward with the work. 
They sent a carpenter and a painter for 2 days total -- a total of 16 man-hours.  The work was adequate, but nothing exceptional.  I had three specific issues with the work: (i) when they did exterior repairs, they did not very well match to the existing stain (which is a bit faded), (ii) they did not install composite trim all around an exterior door as stated in the contract (Karla insisted that the contract's use of the word "trim" only referred to the trim and not the door casing, which seemed to me an inappropriate way to interpet the contract); and (iii) we still are getting water in through a window (again, this is the major reason why we contacted them in the first instance!).  On items (ii) and (iii), I have tried repeatedly by phone and e-mail to get Karla to address these concerns.  No answer.  I am glad that I deducted some money from the contract price of $2075 and paid only $1850 -- I purposely withheld $225 because I suspected that Coelho Contracting would not return to honor the remaining composite work around the exterior door.  Sure enough, they did not. 
To be fair, there were aspects of their work that I think were good -- e.g., they were good about taking some before and after pictures of their work, especially in areas that were not visible from ground level, and, as I said, the general workmanship was adequate.  Do I feel like I got excellent value for my $1850?  For 16 man hours of painting/carpentry work, absolutely not.
All in all, I think Coelho Contracting is an adequate contractor, but I don't think they are an A-rated player anymore.  They are more like a B- or C-rated player.  I don't personally think their 5-year warranty is worth very much, so it's not worthwhile to "pay up" for it.  Their paint job, like anybody else's, is not going to last 5 years, and when the issues arise, their approach will be to do "touch ups" that put band-aids on things, but don't kid yourself and think for a minute that a 5-year warranty means that your house will look equally good 5 years after their project.  One thing to keep in mind is that Coelho Contracting underwent a management/ownership change in the 2008-2009 period, and the primary person who used to sell jobs and deal with issues is no longer at the company. In addition, they used to have an administrative assistant who communicated well on all of the little details surrounding a job, and they no longer have that person either.  Overall, I would not recommend doing business with Coelho Contracting.   I will certainly not be using them in the future.

This work was performed in fall 2011.  We received quotes from numerous contractors and eventually chose Coelho because their price was competitive, the scoping of the work was very specific and itemized and they were timely and thorough in their responses.  The work, which was extensive, was carried out very efficiently over six weeks and work was done almost every day during that time.  When the need for additional work was discovered, which was understandably unknowable at the time of the initial scoping, we were always presented with written change requests before any additional work was done.  We came to know the workers well during that time and it was always a pleasure to interact with them.  In short, we truly couldn't have been happier with the experience.  I can't think of any way in which the contract was handled unprofessionally.  The results were all beautiful, especially the porch, and 1 1/2 years later everything still looks as good as new.  I would absolutely not hesitate to contact them again if we needed additional work done.  They are a model for how to run a great business.

They were responsible. If they saw anything else that needed attention outside of what they were doing they would ask me.

Coelho Contracting Inc are good people. Coelho runs the show and they do a good job. We had a lot of blistering and stuff and they came back twice to correct everything.

Our experience with them went very well. They did a very good job and they were very quick. They were professional, did an excellent job, didn't charge up for little things like we didn't have enough white paint ad they have some and used that but didn't charge us some extra. They were able to paint one room and we changed our mind on the color and I don't think it ended up charging us extra to do that one over. I would say they did a terrific job and they are very good to work with.

I own a childcare center and I hired Coelho Contracting to install wood floors in the hallways, tile in the classrooms and carpet to the indoor playspace. I also had them paint all my interior walls, doors and install a few fixtures in the bathrooms.
They had to completely remove all the old ceramic tile and flatten the old floors to be able to put down my new wood and tile floors. For such a large space (2500sf) they did a good time managing their time and giving me a clear schedule on the progress. Their painting was efficient and surprisingly quick.
They had a lot of work to do and a strict schedule to go own because I was due to open in a few weeks. They were always on time, often early to get their equipment ready and they always had someone onsite who could answer any of my questions. Also, the owner would come by often to check up on the progress.
Given the amount of work and the schedule I was very impressed when we had the center open in time.
I would not think twice about hiring them again. Highly recommended.

Good workers.............. VERY POOR PROJECT MANAGEMENT!!!!!!!!
Workers were dropped off each day they actually worked and given instructions.  They did not speak English so we couldn't bring anything to their attention that was not being done in accordance with the contract and had to call he office. Very, very frustrating. 
The work wasn't conducted as stated in the contract.  There was an addendum to the contract for additional work on one side of the house which resulted in appx. $4k more and at the end of the project another bill for $1k+ for "work not included in the original contract".  There was no proposal or additional addendum for this $1k+ "supposed extras".  Seeing as they would not do anything unless it was in writing I can't understand how they would expect us to pay $1k more for "extras" that were not brought to our attention.  I would not have paid them the extra $1k but they continued to harass my parents and would not talk with me personally.  My parents were quite upset by their phone calls and letters and I was afraid that they would get sick and it is for that reason ONLY they were paid the additional $$.
In my business I have worked with all trades in the construction industry and have never had such a terrible experience and to think they were one of the higher bidders! 
I could not in good conscience recommend them to anyone!!!!!! 

They painted the house as requested although the painter had to be asked several times to stop making noise that was interfering with my work. i work at home. The experience with the screens was a nightmare-see above. They did such a bad job painting the porch that they had to be asked to paint it again.

Update 01/23/13: I had a complaint.. Eventually the company addressed it and fixed the problem.

I contracted with Coelho Contracting for a roof shingle and gutter replacement. The quotation process was professional and prompt. Karla Coelho and her team accomodated coordination of the roofing work timing with other contracting we having done on the house. Early in the course of the roofing work the fascia boards and other components were determined to have rot issues. These were propmtly identified and verifiable issues; I agreed to the replacement of these items at additional cost. I was asked to select the roofing materials among several options and the "premium" shingle type was verifiably installed. We have a relatively simple geometry roof in 2 sections with no concave corners. The work was done quickly with very effective cleanup of the removed material and excess from the new; just a few nails were missed (I would find zero nails an impossible achievement with actual work performed). Billing was straightforward and expectations clear.

Our house had some old aluminum siding that we were not very fond of, needed painting, and was missing portions where we had done interior work. With shingles underneath, we wanted to remove the siding, fix up the shingles underneath, and have the whole house painted. This turned out to be a more difficult proposition than first anticipated. Most exterior companies do only one or two things - paint, but not carpentry, siding but not paint, etc. Karla was one of the few people I contacted who was willing to do whatever was required for a reasonable price.
The original quote was for about $12,000 for removing the siding, fixing up windows and shingles, replacing gutters, and painting the exterior. The siding and old gutters were gone in a day, but underneath we found that the soffits were beyond repair and there was no flashing along the roof line between the first and second story. Karla wanted to do the soffits right, with all new PVC boards, so the resulting quote pushed the total closer to $25,000.
The carpentry work was done by just one man who was very methodical and thorough. It was a large amount of work, and took almost two weeks to complete, but the result was a huge improvement. After the carpentry work, the painting and gutters were done in a matter of days. Throughout the whole thing, Karla was easy to work with and was very supportive of our desire to get the work prior to the birth of our first child.

once contracted was signed. Date was set. Foreman got sick. so date pushed back.
after he got well. work was done quickly they had a problem with rotted window
carpenter came and repaired

The entire process went very well.  They were very responsive and gave a very thorough estimate.  There was some vague communication about the start date.  They simply showed up on a day that I specified as not good for us.  We worked it out an they started the process the following week.  They were higher on the price end out of the four proposals we received.  Their proposal was by far the best and most extensive.  I had to call the other providers many times to try and figure out exactly what their figure included.  Coelho was all spelled out in the proposal.  The painters we very courteous and professional.  After the job was done we called in some touch ups after examining the work.  They promptly came and addressed all the issues.  Their carpenter was also very good.
Now, one year later the paint job looks as good as the day they completed it.  They did a very good job and we have received many complements from neighbors on the workmanship.